


What Happened?

by LibertyKingdom



Category: The Outsiders (1983), The Outsiders - S. E. Hinton
Genre: F/M, from a prompt by Realgallant
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-21
Updated: 2019-11-21
Packaged: 2021-02-18 10:07:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 895
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21509320
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LibertyKingdom/pseuds/LibertyKingdom
Summary: Cherry is caught bandaging a wound after the Senior Socs discover that she has been in cahoots with the Greasers.Tw: Mentions of blood can be found in this work.
Kudos: 5





	What Happened?

Valance considers herself fortunate. The scoundrels who attacked her were only looking to send her a warning instead of desiring to snuff out her life. Had they possessed the extra measure of malice, she knows she would have perished on the cold concrete at the hands of fellow Socs. Despite the extra effort that Cherry thrust into fighting back, she hadn’t the luxury of walking away unscathed. A tide of cranberry seeps slowly into her fashionable attire and she briefly laments its ruin.

She ambles forward in search of a place to attend to her wound. That is when Cherry spots something that would suit her purpose. Not many dared to venture there and that solitude was exactly what the red-head desired to take advantage of. Shadows that ran long into inaccessible alleys provided her with the perfect amount of coverage while not entirely blotting out the streetlights. Trembling hands fuss with the corners of her shirt, tugging the slightly sopping material gingerly upwards. She only hoists it high enough to reveal a small portion of her long slender torso. “Damn.” The uncultured word slurs free from her tongue before she can even move to retrain it. It was a good thing the brutes hadn’t absconded with her purse. For in it, she carried bandages. They usually came in handy when Bob or Randy needed patching up after knuckleheaded brawls. This time, however, they’d be used on herself.

The removal of the covering fabric reveals a jagged patch of torn flesh. The size and shape of the damage are a perfect match to the unrefined edges of the broken beer bottle wielded against her. The gashes in her side are deep but not so deep that they could have reached internal organs. The marks still may leave scars. A thought that continually nags at the back of her mind. Still trembling viciously, Cherry attempts to pry the bandages out of her bag. The task is not easily accomplished as it required skillful and patient maneuvering to avoid plunging the shirt back into the injury-zone. 

An unexpected emergence of a voice causes her to jolt, the sterile bandage she’d been clutching nearly slips to the ground. Startled evergreen hues blow wide and snap their focus onto him. Her heart is sent skittering, sending out frantic S.O.Ses against her already tight ribcages. “Lord Almighty, Johnny! Ya shouldn’t be sneakin’ up on people like that!” Cherry crossly chastises. Her words rattling nearly as terribly as her muscles. “Coulda scared me half ta death. How in the world did ya find me?”

His question implies that he had taken notice of the monstrous and uneven gashes. “Wouldn’t you like to know?” Dourly she grumbles as if, Cade should be fully capable of deciphering the veiled meaning. In truth, he really wasn’t deserving of this abrasive response. It was just a collision of her immense displeasure at being caught, the agonizing pain, and mounting frustration; all speaking in one accord. Corrosive guilt turns into a liquid fire that slips to and fro within her veins. “Sorry.” The apology is genuine, repentance radiating in her tired eyes. “That was barbaric of me. You didn’t do this.”

Valance’s highly esteemed Soc reputation was now as tainted as her shirt thanks to her display of mercy towards the Greasers. Some rat-fink snitch turned her in for playing the role of a spy. They’d see her attempt to stop the violence as a betrayal. 

Each word is now selected carefully so as to avoid inflicting any further unintentional offenses upon Cade. “I found myself on the wrong end of a bottle.” There is more to it than that. With an unencumbered sigh, she adds, “I’ve been cautioned ‘gainst talkin’ to you boys. Thats all.” There is irony in having to relay this to Cade. If anyone could understand her predicament, he could. The scar he bore on his cheek proved it.

Did she have any intention of altering her course of action? Maybe. Her fingers still begrudgingly clutch that brass ring of social image and position. It was difficult. No, damn near impossible, to relinquish all good credit that she had striven years to build up. Still, something buried far deeper than the external fabrication of being shallow, beckons her to abandon this legacy in favor of a new season of freedom. Sure she’d lose all of her old friends but they could all be forfeit anyways once news of her split allegiance got round. Then again, maybe it was time to surround herself with new less judgemental ones. Haphazardly, Cherry decides to allow the figurative grasp loosen just a smidge. It is just enough to succinctly grant Cade continued access to her genuine persona.

Inhaling sharply, Cherry entreats, “would ya mind helping me with this?” Her head of red-waves is tipped in the direction of the bandage. While she finds the vulnerability in herself repulsive, she determines that it is merited in this instance. Cause last time she checked, she didn’t have four hands to utilize. She can’t risk going home and alerting her parents to this situation. They would make too much ado, dragging her to the hospital and demanding explanations. With the clarification of details, Cherry would surely be forbidden to attend most, if not all, social activities outside of school. The red-head couldn’t bear to suffer more consequences.


End file.
